Joel Bartlett is a television presenter who worked as a meteorologist for KPIX in San Francisco for more than three decades and has died. The 81-year-old died on March 31 at his property in Sonoma County. According to George Lang, a family friend who used to work with the veteran reporter, Bartlett died at his home at about 11:00 p.m., accompanied by his wife, family, and all of his animals.
Mayor London Breed recently awarded Bartlett with a proclamation from the city of San Francisco in recognition of his many years as one of the Bay Area’s most famous television personalities.
Retired weatherman Joel Bartlett died Thursday at his ranch in Sonoma County, surrounded by family, friends and the animals he loved. He was 81. A favorite to millions, he was with KPIX from 1974-1989, then KGO-TV until 2006. One of the nicest guys in TV. He will be missed. pic.twitter.com/dMYABSJM3i
— Kevin Wing NBC Bay Area (@KevinWingNBC) April 2, 2022
Joel Bartlett’s bio
Mayor London Breed recently awarded Bartlett with a proclamation from the city of San Francisco in recognition of his many years as one of the Bay Area’s most famous television personalities. He obtained work as a staff meteorologist with PG&E in San Francisco in 1968. After six years, he was hired as a weekend meteorologist at KPIX.
During the 1980s, the KPIX Eyewitness News team, which comprised anchors Dave McElhatton, Wendy Tokuda, sportscaster Wayne Walker, and Bartlett, was the one to watch. In 1982, KPIX’s Eyewitness News became the most-watched newscast in the Bay Area.
In an interview with Off Camera in 2012, Joel Bartlett stated:
“We had a huge weather map, and I used a giant Magic Marker pen to put the temperatures on it.” I began flipping the Magic Marker in the air while creating the weather. I began by doing it on occasion, and then I began doing it every night when it was appropriate. “I’d then exhort the audience to “go out and make it a beautiful day.”
When Bartlett joined KGO-TV in 1989, he co-founded “The Naturalists” with veteran KGO-TV meteorologist Pete Giddings and the rest of the weather team. Each contributed news articles about ecology, nature, and the environment, as well as weather reports. Joel Bartlett spent his time after retirement in 2006 aiding local organizations in the North Bay.
